Leaving on a jet plane
by bring.me.sunshine
Summary: Harry and Ginny go on their first aeroplane ride, much to Harry's chagrin. Written for Round 2 of The Houses Competition (Year Three).


House: Gryffindor

Position: Year 5 (stand-in)

Category: Drabble

Prompt: [Event] First aeroplane ride

Word Count: 718

Over the years, Ginny has said many things that have shocked Harry. In fact, he's practically become immune to her spontaneity, her wild tongue, her overwhelming sense of adventure. So when she says "We should visit Charlie in Romania" as they sit huddled around the fire one miserable November night, he barely bats an eyelid.

He thinks it's a good idea. He assumes she means that they'll Apparate there, or use Floo powder. When Ginny suggests flying, he's not sure: it's a long way, and it'll be an awful journey if the weather's bad.

It's just a shame that he assumes she means flying on a broomstick. It's also a shame that Ginny's already got the tickets, knowing full well that he'd try and argue his way out of getting on an aeroplane.

To give Ginny credit, she's sorted everything out with her usual quiet efficiency: passports, tickets, getting to the airport. Considering the Muggle bureaucracy involved, Harry strongly suspects that Hermione has had a large part to play in it all. As he and Ginny settle down in their cramped seats on a plane packed full of shouting, sweaty tourists, he makes a mental note to berate Hermione as soon as he can.

On one hand, he can't help but love Ginny's excitement. She'd been in seventh heaven in the airport, stopping every ten seconds to enthusiastically point out the stacks of chocolate in the duty-free shop ("There's more than Honeydukes have!"), or the burly immigration officers ("worse-looking than the trolls in Gringotts!"). Now they're on the plane, she's even poring over the terrifying safety information card in delight.

"Oh Harry," she sighs happily. "I only wish Dad was here. Some Muggle stuff is amazing."

Harry can only manage a grunt, trying to ignore the growing growl of the engines rumbling underneath him. He's been hiding it all day, but the cracks are starting to show - though as Ginny frowns, ready to say something, they're interrupted by the flight attendant.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard this British Airways flight BA886 to Bucharest. If we could have your attention for the safety demonstration..."

The life-jackets, the oxygen masks, the brace position goes over Harry's head. All he can picture as the plane crawls ominously up the runway is them falling out of the sky, being burnt alive in an inferno...

"Harry?" Ginny whispers. "It's okay. This is going to be fun!"

"I - don't - "

Suddenly, his stomach is swooping, his whole body is being forced into the tiny seat. Instinctively, he grips Ginny's hand hard and squeezes his eyes shut.

"Harry, it's okay," Ginny repeats, squeezing his hand. "Look how high we're going! You could never do this on a broomstick!"

"But I'm the one flying the broomstick," he groans, eyes still clamped shut.

Harry's bizarre behaviour suddenly becomes clear to Ginny. "I get it. You're out of control and you don't like it."

Grunt.

"It's only a couple of hours, Harry, and it's not like you can leave now. Nothing's going to happen. Look - just open your eyes and look out the window. It's gorgeous, I promise."

Begrudgingly, Harry sees Ginny's sense. He slowly opens one eye and peers out the window - and Ginny's right, so right. Clear blue skies stretch for as far as the eye can see, with cotton wool clouds floating gently past. And when his confidence grows, he leans forward, and can just make out a patchwork of fields fading away beneath.

His grip slowly relaxes on Ginny's hand. "Fine. It's beautiful."

"Glad we came?"

He throws her a wry smile. "Yeah. A bit."

Chuckling, Ginny pulls out the in-flight magazine and starts to "ooh" and "ahh" over the strange Muggle drinks and trinkets on offer. Just as Harry starts to untense, there's a deafening thud from below them.

"Turbulence," Ginny says, not even looking up from what she's reading. "Hermione told me about it."

But when it happens again, even she looks worried - as does everyone around them. (Meanwhile, Harry's face is contorting into an expression of total terror.)

Suddenly, the pilot's faraway voice blares over the tannoy. "Ladies and gentlemen, we're experiencing some engine problems. We're currently preparing for an emergency landing in Southend..."

And at that moment, Harry swears he's going to kill Hermione.


End file.
